Strange Magic [A JUMP fic] Chapter 20: Racing Time
Oh, my, gosh... We're nearly finished! I'll miss posting everyday ;m;
Previously...
At last the mystic was found and was able to give them the solution to Chinen Yuri’s predicament and Yamada Ryosuke that final push he needed to admit his feelings for Mitsuhiko Diei, but would it be too late?
++++++
“You are so dead to me.”
“Sumimasen captain, but I was really just trying to help you out!”
Nakajima Yuto couldn’t believe the guy; Morimoto just made Aya avoid him even more.
“How do you even know I’m not going to ask her out today, huh?” The look the younger guy gave him was answer enough. “I was! I’m just, looking for the right time…”
“Nakajima-sama, Omedeto!”
“Sasuga, Yuto-kun!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Yeah,” Morimoto snorted, just as people came flocking to them who haven’t had enough of congratulating them for winning; the afternoon festival was of course, to their honor. “You’ll never even have one minute with her at this rate.”
“You find a way for us to have a minute,” Yuto hissed at him from the corner of his mouth while he allowed his hands to be wrung or slapped on the back. “You owe me!”
When the crowd shifted they had a good view of the gates where they found Airin, Aya, Yann, Kai and Inoo coming their way in.
“Okay don’t kill me,” Morimoto whispered to Yuto as he clamped an arm over his shoulders then yelled at the top of his voice, “Hey look, there’s your girlfriend, Yuto-kun!” which cleared their way away from the stunned crowd who looked over the THS students.
“Maji?” Inoo said brightly. “Which one, Yann-chan or Airin-chan?”
“Right here,” Morimoto yanked Aya’s arm forward.
“Wait, what?!” Aya sputtered.
“Ryutaro!”
Inoo hooted just as Yann, Airin and Kai giggled. “C’mon lovebirds, your secret’s safe with me - as long as you keep mine!” he winked at them before taking Kai-chan’s hand leading them to the ferris wheel.
“Hey, I think it’s a two-seater, couple’s only thing,” Yann quickly devised for an alibi as they got in line. “So I’m just going around to the sports dome with Ame-chan to get a quick look and feel of the game for the article, bye!”
“No, wait!” Aya started after the girl hugging the puppy in her lunch bag.
“I’ll come with her,” Airin said hastily.
“We’ll go with her, I know the way of course,” Morimoto agreed leaving the couples.
“I..” Yuto made a move as if he was going to stop Aya which she couldn’t help but guess he was planning to confess there, but he seem to clam up at the last minute looking over her shoulder. “..actually want to take the ride, but you don’t have to…”
Aya bit her lip as she turned and saw the sulky fangirls as well. “Ohh, fine, I can’t leave you now to your groupies…” which Inoo and Kai heard looking at each other knowingly.
All the way to their assigned gondola they said nothing sitting across each other until they were halfway up and Aya couldn’t stand the silence. “So you won huh. Great.”
“Yeah…”
After counting a full minute in her head she gave up, shaking her head. “Koshinuke.”
“What?” Yuto asked blinkingly if he heard it right.
“I said you’re a coward,” Aya repeated facing him. “How could a star player who dared shoot across half courts hide under flirting with dozens of girls just to make someone jealous -”
“Now wait just one minute,” Yuto cut in vehemently. “That’s just Morimoto’s take on it, I wasn’t -”
“ - instead of just telling me straight how he feels?” Aya continued jutting her chin out, challenging him.
“Suki. Daisuki.”
“Do you want to date me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Aya said turning her head outside.
“Okay.” It was a while before Yuto realized what they had agreed to and stared dumbfounded at Aya who was smiling with her eyes looking resolutely at the sunset view.
~+~+~+~
Though their ride took only one hour and forty-five minutes record time, it was still already sunset when Diei, Yamada, Kamenashi and Yabu got to Kitagawa Academy.
“Okay so, you guys are sure of the exact time the bus comes here so you have to find this Chinen Yuri before sunset ends and he boards it to his province?” Yabu went over the plan they heard from the two confusedly.
“Yes, but, this isn’t the main gates is it?” Yamada concluded looking around where they had parked which was at the back of the new buildings.
“Aa,” Kamenashi confirmed just as he lent a hand for Diei to hold on to as she dismount; though she didn’t need the arm sling anymore it would still be sore and hurting with pressure. “What with an open event like this who knows who’s around here; and don’t forget who you came with.”
“I don’t care, I’ll take it anyway; I have,” Diei grunted as she exercised her joints from being stiff on the ride. “You two’d better get to the more public places though.”
“Keep it for the moment,” Kamenashi advised her when she handed him her helmet back winking, “so you’d have reason to come back to me when you’re tired of your prince.”
“Twelve minutes,” Yamada reminded Diei as he looked up from his wristwatch.
“Alright, ikimashou,” Diei focused on making their plan along the way, “Aya-chan’s last text said they met up with Inoo-kun at the gates -”
“If I still know Kei-kun, he’d head straight for the ferris wheel,” Kamenashi continued.
“Probably used his sempai status to get his way,” Diei agreed quickening their pace to the towering ride as they came out to the courtyard full of food stalls.
“Still make a pretty good team don’t they?” Yabu grinned at Yamada who was on his phone.
“Basketball team’s still here, they won; and if Aya’s still around Yuto would be with them,” Yamada informed Diei pocketing his phone.
Diei stopped and nodded getting his meaning, “So that’ll be two couples, Airin-chan and Yann-chan -”
“I’d bet you anything she’d break away to find Chinen on her own,” Yamada guessed.
“But you said this Yann’s cover was to finish Kei’s article,” Kamenashi interjected.
“Meaning she’d check where the game was held first!” Diei finished as Yamada led the way running to the sports dome.
“Man, bunch of geniuses...” Yabu shook his head hurrying after.
Meanwhile Yann and Airin had just finished telling Morimoto the public story of Chinen missing as they round the back of the dome.
“But I haven’t heard of another bus from THS that came before ours..” Morimoto said looking dubiously at Airin.
“Oh, but we’re sure Chinen-sempai’s here,” Airin said giving a meaningful look to the puppy in Yann’s arms. “He called Diei-sempai telling him he’ll board a bus to home from here after sunset before the moon smiles.”
“What does that mean?” Morimoto started to chuckle, shaking his head. “Hen’na onna...”
“Ohh, but there’s so many people here right now.. I don’t think either of us will ever find him before he goes…” Yann bowed her head dejectedly, cuddling Ame-chan closer.
Isoide kudasai Nee-chan, get here in time, Chinen barked.
“C’mon Yann-sempai, even Ame-chan says you should cheer up,” Morimoto misinterpreted but Chinen didn’t mind thinking the same.
“Arah, Morimoto.. Hisashiburi.”
They turned to find a guy in a fur-lined parka coming out of the sports dome with a few others; they had obviously taken refuge there to smoke all afternoon.
“Nakayama,” Morimoto nodded back at him in greeting but for the expression in his face it was not welcome.
“What’s that? No -sama or -sempai or whatever they beat into you to be polite up the big school?” Nakayama Yuma snided.
“Nah man, they’re all sissies up there,” said one of the guys behind him who were obviously his goons.
“Funny, have you ever told your new friends you took the entrance exam to THS with Yamada-sempai? Which he beat you in, again,” Morimoto said coolly that made them stop laughing.
“Watch your tone,” Nakayama snapped, stepping closer. “You’re only Nakajima’s pet kohai.”
“C’mon,” Ryutaro turned to Airin and Yann who both agreed to go only too gladly.
“Hey, you’re cute,” Nakayama said grabbing at Yann’s elbow to stop her walking away, “Why don’t you girls come - AAARRGGHHHH?!”
Nakayama howled in pain as Chinen jumped out of his lunch bag and clamped his jaws around his wrist tearing through the sleeve. It was quite funny watching the bully try to shake off a small puppy until he punched it down the ground.
“Don’t hurt him!” Yann shrieked and tried to catch the puppy but for one of Nakayama’s friends holding her back.
“Oi!” Morimoto launched forward and punched the guy, but it was four to one even without Nakayama and though Airin tried to help the goons restrained them all.
“Dammit, that was new!” Nakayama bit out angrily aiming a kick at the puppy - but Yamada Ryosuke got there first as he lithely jumped over Nakayama’s leg snatching Chinen away.
“YOU!?” Nakayama screamed seeing who it was but he was cut off by a backward kick to the stomach from Mitsuhiko Diei sending him to his knees. Closely behind he could see his guys getting beat up by notorious biker gang boss Kamenashi Kazuya and his right hand Yabu Kota.
“Ryosuke go!” Diei shouted tossing the bottle of wishing dust to him before she caught the guy raising a metal pipe behind Yabu who was fighting another with Kamenashi’s helmet.
“I knew you’ll have better use for that!” she heard Kamenashi cheered as he handled two himself, but she didn’t even had time to see to Yann and Airin who were bent over Morimoto on the ground; Nakayama dove for the pipe and sprinted after Yamada, Diei on his heels.
They had just rounded the corner where there were gym lockers lining along the side of the building which Yamada had the wits to gather jogging pants and a t-shirt from before tossing them inside an empty one where he planned to stuff Chinen in for his transformation.
But, Nee-chan and Yann -
“Worry about them later, you got to swallow this,” Yamada told him whipping off the cork from the bottle when Nakayama caught up to him.
Behind you!
Chinen didn’t think twice to jump at Nakayama catching the ends of his parka weighing an arm down enough for his swing of the pipe at Yamada’s head miss. Unfortunately Nakayama was successful in swiping Yamada hard against the lockers knocking the wind out of him as he’d gone off balance making the open bottle flew from his hand, the potion spilling out.
“Hey, loser!” Diei distracted Nakayama as the puppy ran to lick the dust from the floor with Yamada scrambling after it, and waited for Nakayama to swing the pipe at her so she could grab hold of his outstretched arm, twist around and flip him bodily over her shoulder.
At the same time Yamada had just slammed the locker door shut after Chinen seconds before a cloud covered the last sunset rays in the sky and the half moon revealed itself from beyond the trees. Only then did he turn to Diei who had fallen down on her knees beside him heavily; the shoulder she had used was the injured one.
“Did we make it?” she asked hoarsely through what must have been a lot of pain constricting her voice. But before Yamada could answer, he saw Nakayama towering behind Diei - arms raised with the pipe.
“Not her!” Yamada threw himself at Diei rolling them around on the floor to bodily shield her from Nakayama’s blow, who blinked down at them.
“Really? You’re willing to admit defeat for this girl? Ha, haha, hahahah!” he laughed manically. And then he started kicking Yamada’s side.
“No!!” Diei tried to push him off but Yamada wouldn’t budge even as the kicks connected to his ribs. “Ryosuke don’t do this!”
That was when there was a hair-raising howl that ripped the air and a gust of strong breeze made the lockers rattle.
“What the -?!!” Nakayama’s head snapped up pausing mid-kick only to get hit by a helmet at the back of his head from Kamenashi knocking him out.
“Diei! Yamada!” He and Morimoto pulled the half-conscious Yamada off Diei.
“There, he’s one of them!” Yabu was saying to a couple of policemen as he, Yann and Airin came up to them while Nakayama was picked up in cuffs.
“Diei stop, what are you -” Kamenashi was making her lie back on the floor but Diei pushed his hands away hurrying to one of the lockers wrenching it open and out fell a shivering Chinen Yuri to the others’ surprise.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sumimasen - I’m sorry ; used as ‘Apologies’ here
-sama - suffix for both sexes ; used for admired/respected people
Omedeto - Congratulations
yaru ne - did well ; used as ‘good going’ here
sasuga - great ; used as ‘just as expected of’ here
Kyaaa - usual japanese exclamation version for sound of excitement
-chan - suffix used by speaker for younger female names or females close with
Maji - really ; informal way to say ‘Maji de’ meaning ‘for real?’
Koshinuke - Coward
Suki - I like you
Daisuki - I really like you
Aa - usual japanese version for ‘Yeah’
ikimashou - let’s go
-kun - suffix used by speaker for younger male names or males close with
sempai - senior ; title for a respected upperclassman or upperclasswoman
hen’na onna - weird girl
Isoide kudasai - Hurry up please
Nee-chan - Sis ; informal/cutesy way to say ‘Onee-san’
Ame - Rain
Hisashiburi - Long time no see
kohai - junior
Previously...
At last the mystic was found and was able to give them the solution to Chinen Yuri’s predicament and Yamada Ryosuke that final push he needed to admit his feelings for Mitsuhiko Diei, but would it be too late?
++++++
“You are so dead to me.”
“Sumimasen captain, but I was really just trying to help you out!”
Nakajima Yuto couldn’t believe the guy; Morimoto just made Aya avoid him even more.
“How do you even know I’m not going to ask her out today, huh?” The look the younger guy gave him was answer enough. “I was! I’m just, looking for the right time…”
“Nakajima-sama, Omedeto!”
“Sasuga, Yuto-kun!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Yeah,” Morimoto snorted, just as people came flocking to them who haven’t had enough of congratulating them for winning; the afternoon festival was of course, to their honor. “You’ll never even have one minute with her at this rate.”
“You find a way for us to have a minute,” Yuto hissed at him from the corner of his mouth while he allowed his hands to be wrung or slapped on the back. “You owe me!”
When the crowd shifted they had a good view of the gates where they found Airin, Aya, Yann, Kai and Inoo coming their way in.
“Okay don’t kill me,” Morimoto whispered to Yuto as he clamped an arm over his shoulders then yelled at the top of his voice, “Hey look, there’s your girlfriend, Yuto-kun!” which cleared their way away from the stunned crowd who looked over the THS students.
“Maji?” Inoo said brightly. “Which one, Yann-chan or Airin-chan?”
“Right here,” Morimoto yanked Aya’s arm forward.
“Wait, what?!” Aya sputtered.
“Ryutaro!”
Inoo hooted just as Yann, Airin and Kai giggled. “C’mon lovebirds, your secret’s safe with me - as long as you keep mine!” he winked at them before taking Kai-chan’s hand leading them to the ferris wheel.
“Hey, I think it’s a two-seater, couple’s only thing,” Yann quickly devised for an alibi as they got in line. “So I’m just going around to the sports dome with Ame-chan to get a quick look and feel of the game for the article, bye!”
“No, wait!” Aya started after the girl hugging the puppy in her lunch bag.
“I’ll come with her,” Airin said hastily.
“We’ll go with her, I know the way of course,” Morimoto agreed leaving the couples.
“I..” Yuto made a move as if he was going to stop Aya which she couldn’t help but guess he was planning to confess there, but he seem to clam up at the last minute looking over her shoulder. “..actually want to take the ride, but you don’t have to…”
Aya bit her lip as she turned and saw the sulky fangirls as well. “Ohh, fine, I can’t leave you now to your groupies…” which Inoo and Kai heard looking at each other knowingly.
All the way to their assigned gondola they said nothing sitting across each other until they were halfway up and Aya couldn’t stand the silence. “So you won huh. Great.”
“Yeah…”
After counting a full minute in her head she gave up, shaking her head. “Koshinuke.”
“What?” Yuto asked blinkingly if he heard it right.
“I said you’re a coward,” Aya repeated facing him. “How could a star player who dared shoot across half courts hide under flirting with dozens of girls just to make someone jealous -”
“Now wait just one minute,” Yuto cut in vehemently. “That’s just Morimoto’s take on it, I wasn’t -”
“ - instead of just telling me straight how he feels?” Aya continued jutting her chin out, challenging him.
“Suki. Daisuki.”
“Do you want to date me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Aya said turning her head outside.
“Okay.” It was a while before Yuto realized what they had agreed to and stared dumbfounded at Aya who was smiling with her eyes looking resolutely at the sunset view.
~+~+~+~
Though their ride took only one hour and forty-five minutes record time, it was still already sunset when Diei, Yamada, Kamenashi and Yabu got to Kitagawa Academy.
“Okay so, you guys are sure of the exact time the bus comes here so you have to find this Chinen Yuri before sunset ends and he boards it to his province?” Yabu went over the plan they heard from the two confusedly.
“Yes, but, this isn’t the main gates is it?” Yamada concluded looking around where they had parked which was at the back of the new buildings.
“Aa,” Kamenashi confirmed just as he lent a hand for Diei to hold on to as she dismount; though she didn’t need the arm sling anymore it would still be sore and hurting with pressure. “What with an open event like this who knows who’s around here; and don’t forget who you came with.”
“I don’t care, I’ll take it anyway; I have,” Diei grunted as she exercised her joints from being stiff on the ride. “You two’d better get to the more public places though.”
“Keep it for the moment,” Kamenashi advised her when she handed him her helmet back winking, “so you’d have reason to come back to me when you’re tired of your prince.”
“Twelve minutes,” Yamada reminded Diei as he looked up from his wristwatch.
“Alright, ikimashou,” Diei focused on making their plan along the way, “Aya-chan’s last text said they met up with Inoo-kun at the gates -”
“If I still know Kei-kun, he’d head straight for the ferris wheel,” Kamenashi continued.
“Probably used his sempai status to get his way,” Diei agreed quickening their pace to the towering ride as they came out to the courtyard full of food stalls.
“Still make a pretty good team don’t they?” Yabu grinned at Yamada who was on his phone.
“Basketball team’s still here, they won; and if Aya’s still around Yuto would be with them,” Yamada informed Diei pocketing his phone.
Diei stopped and nodded getting his meaning, “So that’ll be two couples, Airin-chan and Yann-chan -”
“I’d bet you anything she’d break away to find Chinen on her own,” Yamada guessed.
“But you said this Yann’s cover was to finish Kei’s article,” Kamenashi interjected.
“Meaning she’d check where the game was held first!” Diei finished as Yamada led the way running to the sports dome.
“Man, bunch of geniuses...” Yabu shook his head hurrying after.
Meanwhile Yann and Airin had just finished telling Morimoto the public story of Chinen missing as they round the back of the dome.
“But I haven’t heard of another bus from THS that came before ours..” Morimoto said looking dubiously at Airin.
“Oh, but we’re sure Chinen-sempai’s here,” Airin said giving a meaningful look to the puppy in Yann’s arms. “He called Diei-sempai telling him he’ll board a bus to home from here after sunset before the moon smiles.”
“What does that mean?” Morimoto started to chuckle, shaking his head. “Hen’na onna...”
“Ohh, but there’s so many people here right now.. I don’t think either of us will ever find him before he goes…” Yann bowed her head dejectedly, cuddling Ame-chan closer.
Isoide kudasai Nee-chan, get here in time, Chinen barked.
“C’mon Yann-sempai, even Ame-chan says you should cheer up,” Morimoto misinterpreted but Chinen didn’t mind thinking the same.
“Arah, Morimoto.. Hisashiburi.”
They turned to find a guy in a fur-lined parka coming out of the sports dome with a few others; they had obviously taken refuge there to smoke all afternoon.
“Nakayama,” Morimoto nodded back at him in greeting but for the expression in his face it was not welcome.
“What’s that? No -sama or -sempai or whatever they beat into you to be polite up the big school?” Nakayama Yuma snided.
“Nah man, they’re all sissies up there,” said one of the guys behind him who were obviously his goons.
“Funny, have you ever told your new friends you took the entrance exam to THS with Yamada-sempai? Which he beat you in, again,” Morimoto said coolly that made them stop laughing.
“Watch your tone,” Nakayama snapped, stepping closer. “You’re only Nakajima’s pet kohai.”
“C’mon,” Ryutaro turned to Airin and Yann who both agreed to go only too gladly.
“Hey, you’re cute,” Nakayama said grabbing at Yann’s elbow to stop her walking away, “Why don’t you girls come - AAARRGGHHHH?!”
Nakayama howled in pain as Chinen jumped out of his lunch bag and clamped his jaws around his wrist tearing through the sleeve. It was quite funny watching the bully try to shake off a small puppy until he punched it down the ground.
“Don’t hurt him!” Yann shrieked and tried to catch the puppy but for one of Nakayama’s friends holding her back.
“Oi!” Morimoto launched forward and punched the guy, but it was four to one even without Nakayama and though Airin tried to help the goons restrained them all.
“Dammit, that was new!” Nakayama bit out angrily aiming a kick at the puppy - but Yamada Ryosuke got there first as he lithely jumped over Nakayama’s leg snatching Chinen away.
“YOU!?” Nakayama screamed seeing who it was but he was cut off by a backward kick to the stomach from Mitsuhiko Diei sending him to his knees. Closely behind he could see his guys getting beat up by notorious biker gang boss Kamenashi Kazuya and his right hand Yabu Kota.
“Ryosuke go!” Diei shouted tossing the bottle of wishing dust to him before she caught the guy raising a metal pipe behind Yabu who was fighting another with Kamenashi’s helmet.
“I knew you’ll have better use for that!” she heard Kamenashi cheered as he handled two himself, but she didn’t even had time to see to Yann and Airin who were bent over Morimoto on the ground; Nakayama dove for the pipe and sprinted after Yamada, Diei on his heels.
They had just rounded the corner where there were gym lockers lining along the side of the building which Yamada had the wits to gather jogging pants and a t-shirt from before tossing them inside an empty one where he planned to stuff Chinen in for his transformation.
But, Nee-chan and Yann -
“Worry about them later, you got to swallow this,” Yamada told him whipping off the cork from the bottle when Nakayama caught up to him.
Behind you!
Chinen didn’t think twice to jump at Nakayama catching the ends of his parka weighing an arm down enough for his swing of the pipe at Yamada’s head miss. Unfortunately Nakayama was successful in swiping Yamada hard against the lockers knocking the wind out of him as he’d gone off balance making the open bottle flew from his hand, the potion spilling out.
“Hey, loser!” Diei distracted Nakayama as the puppy ran to lick the dust from the floor with Yamada scrambling after it, and waited for Nakayama to swing the pipe at her so she could grab hold of his outstretched arm, twist around and flip him bodily over her shoulder.
At the same time Yamada had just slammed the locker door shut after Chinen seconds before a cloud covered the last sunset rays in the sky and the half moon revealed itself from beyond the trees. Only then did he turn to Diei who had fallen down on her knees beside him heavily; the shoulder she had used was the injured one.
“Did we make it?” she asked hoarsely through what must have been a lot of pain constricting her voice. But before Yamada could answer, he saw Nakayama towering behind Diei - arms raised with the pipe.
“Not her!” Yamada threw himself at Diei rolling them around on the floor to bodily shield her from Nakayama’s blow, who blinked down at them.
“Really? You’re willing to admit defeat for this girl? Ha, haha, hahahah!” he laughed manically. And then he started kicking Yamada’s side.
“No!!” Diei tried to push him off but Yamada wouldn’t budge even as the kicks connected to his ribs. “Ryosuke don’t do this!”
That was when there was a hair-raising howl that ripped the air and a gust of strong breeze made the lockers rattle.
“What the -?!!” Nakayama’s head snapped up pausing mid-kick only to get hit by a helmet at the back of his head from Kamenashi knocking him out.
“Diei! Yamada!” He and Morimoto pulled the half-conscious Yamada off Diei.
“There, he’s one of them!” Yabu was saying to a couple of policemen as he, Yann and Airin came up to them while Nakayama was picked up in cuffs.
“Diei stop, what are you -” Kamenashi was making her lie back on the floor but Diei pushed his hands away hurrying to one of the lockers wrenching it open and out fell a shivering Chinen Yuri to the others’ surprise.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sumimasen - I’m sorry ; used as ‘Apologies’ here
-sama - suffix for both sexes ; used for admired/respected people
Omedeto - Congratulations
yaru ne - did well ; used as ‘good going’ here
sasuga - great ; used as ‘just as expected of’ here
Kyaaa - usual japanese exclamation version for sound of excitement
-chan - suffix used by speaker for younger female names or females close with
Maji - really ; informal way to say ‘Maji de’ meaning ‘for real?’
Koshinuke - Coward
Suki - I like you
Daisuki - I really like you
Aa - usual japanese version for ‘Yeah’
ikimashou - let’s go
-kun - suffix used by speaker for younger male names or males close with
sempai - senior ; title for a respected upperclassman or upperclasswoman
hen’na onna - weird girl
Isoide kudasai - Hurry up please
Nee-chan - Sis ; informal/cutesy way to say ‘Onee-san’
Ame - Rain
Hisashiburi - Long time no see
kohai - junior